WEEK 30 "Man, Those Beans and Rice!"

Hola! Como le ha ido? 

As we were walking into email today I overheard a group of random guys saying..."Man those beans and rice." Only in south Florida would you ever hear that. Luckily I am not sick of beans and rice yet... even though that is the only thing we are fed. 

This week was a little bit crazy with planning Liliana's baptism, and teaching all of our friends while being sick. But everything luckily worked out! Seeing the smile on Liliana's face after she was baptized was indescribable.

I ran up to her after and gave her the biggest hug. As we both choked back tears she said, "I did it!" Sometimes in life, we have to fight to know what is true. Sometimes it comes easier for others but I believe that everyone at one point will have questions about their faith and will have to seek guidance from our loving Heavenly Father.

I love Ether 12:6 "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." Liliana's family was very against her decision because they are very strict Catholics. However, she had the deepest desire to know if these things were true. After a couple of months of teaching her, she received her answer from God. Despite her family's opinion, despite her childhood beliefs, she relied on God and the answer that she received to be baptized. I have never seen her happier. 

We have been teaching the cutest family from Honduras for the past couple of weeks. However this week we found out that they will be kicked out of their house in a week and will be on the streets with no job, car, home, or support. Lilian is the mom and she was left by her husband a couple of months ago. As she told me this news, my eyes filled with tears because she has tried everything to provide for her kids but she just cannot make ends meet with her cleaning and restaurant jobs.

She has three little kids under the age of 9 and she has no idea what is going to happen. However, she is my hero because despite all of this hardship her spirits are high and she has faith as strong as a rock. She told me that "God hasn't ever abandoned her and won't do it this time either." I have never seen stronger faith in anyone. She wants to be baptized and so does her oldest son. They know that as they put God first in their lives He will provide a way to help them through this. I love Mosiah 2:22 that reads, "All that he requires of you is to keep His commandments, and he has promised that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land." I know that God will provide a way to help this family. I will keep you all updated on what happens

This week we saw two huge miracles knocking. One was on "Hope" street again! Seriously that street has been filled with miracles. I was knocking with one of the other sisters and the fourth door we knocked on was the cutest family from Colombia. I know I shouldn't have favorites but Colombians might win for the most loving people. They let us in and fed us. Their grandchildren immediately showed us all of their favorite dance moves. It was hilarious. Later we told them we had a message to share with them about Jesus. They were all so excited.

As six of their family members sat around us we shared with them a video of Christ and how they can strengthen their faith in Him by reading the Book of Mormon. The whole family was glued to our faces during the message and were excited to read more in the Book on their own. I know that God has given us the Book of Mormon to strengthen our family relationships as we learn more about Christ. There is a power in the Book of Mormon that I feel each time I sit down and study its pages with an intent to draw closer to God. 

The other miracle was when we went to a more run down part of town. For some reason, we didn't feel super great about knocking in that area. So we decided we would try and find a members house close around us to visit them. We couldn't find it but decided to knock for a little and then see how we felt. The first door we knocked on was a darling family from Nicaragua.

They let us in to share a message. Both of the parents had family members who were members of our church. They told us how they have been looking to deepen their faith in Christ and would love to listen to our messages. When we go somewhere and the plans fall through I truly believe that there is always someone around us that needs our message. And in this case, it was the first door!

As missionaries, we have a lot of ups and a lot of downs. This week we had a lot more downs than ups. But the good times always outweigh the bad times on a mission. And God truly is orchestrating this work. Christ stands at the head of this Church. I am so grateful for the opportunity I get to represent Him each day. There is nothing more thrilling or fulfilling. 

Tengan una linda semana!

-Hermana Richards